Saturday, May 03, 2008 Editorial: Crimes in the city
IF HE were Jack Bauer, the tough and efficient terrorist-buster in the highly acclaimed TV series "24", Superintendent Renato Soria, the embattled chief of police of the City of San Fernando, might just be able to meet the 72-hour deadline given by his superior, Senior Superintendent Keith Singian, Pampanga Provincial Police Director.
The warning is clear: either he catches the robbers of the Porac Bank that pulled a broad-day light last Wednesday, or he can pack up his bag. As things look, given Soria's not-too-impressive performance as a crime-buster since he became the city's top cop, his days - or hours - are clearly numbered.
Try as he might, Soria may not be able to solve this crime within the prescribed period set by Singian. In fact, the spate of crimes that had struck the city in recent weeks, from robberies to car thefts to gang-rape to hold-ups, has already made up the public's mind that the best thing that could ever happened to the city is for Soria to go.
In giving Soria a difficult task, Singian has only echoed what has been the clamor of many.
In fairness, Soria's failure to stem the seeming tide of criminalities in the city may be attributed to a number of factors and not for lack of trying. In the public mind, however, failure, not factors, only reinforces their growing fear. In this sense, the best move that can restore confidence in the police leadership in the city is a change in leadership.
That may not sound fair to Soria, but the public deserves peace of mind, safety and security at home or in the workplace, and the common view is that that is next to impossible unless something decisive and drastic is done. The relief of Soria is only part of that palpable desired move or moves.
To be sure, fighting crimes is not just an exclusive business of the police. It is everybody's business, from the civilian authorities down to the citizenry.
Unfortunately, when something as serious as the series of crimes that had befallen the city happened, the police are the first to get the blame.
Unfortunately, too, for Soria, there seems to be no way to fast the buck to, so to speak. His great misfortune, probably, is being at the wrong place and at the wrong time more than being the wrong person in that space and time.
The city and the public deserve a break, to say the least. If he is able to come up with the results required of him by Singian, Soria might just stave off shipment to another post. That could be his lucky day.
But police work and crime fighting require more than luck.
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